Killer knew access points to yard

Easy and unmanned access to the Sandhurst Road railway yard may have helped the accused dump the dismembered body in the corroded metal tank, the police said.

However, they are not ruling out the possibility that the accused was well versed with the place. According to the police, the meticulousness involved in the crime showed that the accused knew the access points to the yard, and that the victim wouldn't be found for several days.

According to the Dongri police, the employees of the laundry found the torso of the victim inside a corroded metal tank lying abandoned in the yard. They immediately informed Anto John, senior section engineer of the yard, who then called the police control room.

The incident is a reminder of the Vijay Palande case. Palande allegedly murdered Karan Kumar Kakkad, 26, a small-time producer from Amboli, and chopped his body into pieces and disposed them of in the ghats in Chiplun.

The Dongri police said they were checking if the body might have even been brought into the yard through an outstation train. "There are class three and four railway employee quarters inside the yard. We have questioned 132 of the 162 families living. However, nothing has come to the fore yet," said VB Mukane, senior inspector, Dongri police station, adding, "We will have to first identify the deceased and only then the motive would be revealed."

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), which is responsible for the security of the premises, said that because of paucity of policemen, the five access points were not manned. "We have vacancies of over 700 persons. Only 1 RPF official is posted near the laundry. All the entry points cannot be covered till we are given enough men," said a RPF official on condition of anonymity.

The police have registered a murder case and have formed three teams to probe the incident.